Irregular inductions

RECENTLY, the Federal Public Service
Commission (FPSC), that is responsible for conducting the Central Superior
Services (CSS) exam which candidates have to clear to qualify for the civil
services of Pakistan, found itself caught in a scandal.

Some CSS aspirants from Faisalabad had bribed the
postal staff to make changes to the answer sheets of the exam as they were
being couriered to the FPSC head office.

The aspirants involved could not be identified
but thankfully the scheme was foiled. But even if their plan had worked they
would have achieved at best a government job in BPS 17, which pays so little
that I am sure the amount they paid in the bribe would not be covered for the
next five years at least.

All in all, these individuals need to learn from
the flawless plan of the lot mentioned in the following paragraphs.

Among his last official activities, the former
prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf approved a summary pertaining to the
induction of 284 people from corporations, autonomous bodies and provincial
departments to the Office Management Group (OMG) of the Federal Civil Service,
a group meant to be filled primarily by candidates who are selected by the FPSC
via the CSS exam.

This direct induction means that the appointees
will bypass all exams and recruitment procedures, land permanent jobs in the
federal government and make a mockery out of merit.

The summary for their induction was moved on
March 16, 2013 and approved on March 18, 2013. What prompted such quick action
was the fact that the beneficiaries were apparently handpicked for being close
to the political class which seems to have taken Otto von Bismarck’s words,
“politics is the art of the possible”, a bit too literally.

Out of these 284 people, 130 would be inducted in
BPS 18, a level which someone selected on merit after passing the CSS exam with
flying colours achieves after at least five years of service. This means that
these 130 persons would always stay ahead of those inducted on merit —
seniority is the most important criterion for promotion to the next grade.

The move was attributed to the shortage of 200
odd section officers in the Federal Secretariat owing to two periods of
decade-long gaps in recruitment to the OMG via the CSS exam. This shortage
would have been plugged to some extent when 41 officers selected on merit by
the FPSC and currently under training joined the ranks.

The remaining 160 positions could easily have
been filled in two years at the most by selecting candidates on merit through
the CSS exam. The heavens would not have fallen if regular recruitments were
made in this time period for the sake of upholding merit.

However, if the shortage of officers demands that
positions be filled with immediate effect, the rules allow officers from other
service groups of CSS cadre like the railways, commerce and trade, postal
services, etc to be posted on deputation thus ensuring meritocracy.

Compromising on merit for plugging shortages is a
mindless move. But we suppose that for the politicians, compromising on merit
for the sake of securing votes or favouring cronies is very wise.

So much so that the tale of the tortoise and the
hare is currently playing itself out between two class fellows. One of them
passed the CSS exam, the other failed it thrice — the maximum number of times a
candidate can take the exam. The one who passed is still serving in BPS 17 and
the one who failed is now waiting to be inducted in BPS 18 in the same group.

Moral of the story: one should never lose hope in
politicians.

Now that the political government has completed
its term will all these wrongs be undone? I believe the answer is in the
negative. We have seen enough of such anomalies being brushed under the carpet.

One can drive around flouting the law in
non-custom-paid luxury vehicles for years while those with respect for the law
spend their hard-earned money on cars that are not even safe, let alone
luxurious. Then one fine morning an amnesty scheme is announced endorsing the
actions of those who broke the law.

Accountability laws appear to come with a cutoff
date and those who embezzle public money before that date are allowed to walk
away unquestioned — so the earlier you start the better.

This example applies to these irregular
inductions to the civil service; even if the next government expels the
usurpers from service by which time they have already accrued considerable
advances. The government after that restores them with all the perks and wages
paid in arrears.

Evidence suggests the man behind this move was a
former minister for religious affairs.

The bottom line is that the rule of law and
respect for the law are a distant dream in a system where the unlawful becomes
lawful in a matter of minutes.